Amazing, a redpoll in my Sale garden today ! What with Fieldfare earlier this year the garden list is looking good!

The over-wintering Male Blackcap (first noticed 15th Dec last year) has returned after an absence of 6 days.
Other regulars include:-
Bullfinch 2M 2F
Dunnock 3
Blue Tit 4
Gt Tit 2
Goldfinch 7
Greenfinch 4
Chaffinch 3
Coal Tit - usually only see one at once but suspect at least 2 about
L T Tit - small group
Redwing 40ish in trees at end of garden
C Crow 2
Blackbird 1 M 2 F
Magpie - far too many
Woodpigeon - up to 15

Still got the Bullfinch and Goldcrest.

Keep Birding

2 firsts for the year this morning with a goldcrest and 2 greenfinch
also grt tit
coal tit
lt tit
blue tit
house sparrow
jackdaw
woodpigeon
collared dove
nuthatch (2)
robin
dunnock
blackird
magpie
female blackcap
black headed gull

all in 5mins

My better half swears that she saw a moorhen crossing the road outside our house,which would be a megga garden tick for me.Just a shame i,ve got to work

cheers geoff

had a reed bunting this morning ,first ever

Phil Owen wrote:

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Chris, this will be either a Collared Dove or a Feral Pigeon.

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So sure Phil? On balance perhaps but there have been more than a few records of over-wintering Oriental Turtle Dove in northern Europe. Either way, that would be a job for Derbyshire's rarity committee and not me but out of county sightings do need to go in the out of county section Chris

Now then.....I have been getting more than my usual share of wood pigeons recently and yesterday I saw what was a turtle dove with them confuse.gif I do get them occasionally in the summer when I wouldn't have been at all surprised....but in winter.... no.gif before I could get my bins on it to make absolutely sure they all flew and it didn't return when they did. It was the size, shape, colour ...everything correct except the season....if it wasn't a turtle dove what could it have been?
Any (polite) suggestions?

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Chris, this will be either a Collared Dove or a Feral Pigeon.

Cheers Chris, nice number of Redpoll, hope the dove turns up again, if it does maybe the bits and bobs out of county thread is the place for your Derbyshire sighting.

Stay happy and keep birding.

Sorry Paul, although I work and do a lot of my birding in Manchester, I live just over the border in Derbyshire - Glossop.

Interesting Chris what area of Manchester do you live in?

30 strong redpoll flock living on the niger over the last couple of days.
A lonely redwing today and several visits from a F sparrowhawk over the last few days -without observed success so far!

Now then.....I have been getting more than my usual share of wood pigeons recently and yesterday I saw what was a turtle dove with them I do get them occasionally in the summer when I wouldn't have been at all surprised....but in winter.... before I could get my bins on it to make absolutely sure they all flew and it didn't return when they did. It was the size, shape, colour ...everything correct except the season....if it wasn't a turtle dove what could it have been?
Any (polite) suggestions?

-- Edited by Chris Hewitt on Saturday 16th of January 2010 04:40:26 PM

a Goldcrest today was the first for several weeks

An avatar at last, Bill - I'd always wondered what you looked like.

I now realise that I did see you up at Piethorne over Xmas/New Year

Steve

15th January.

Birds in the garden in the recent cold spell feeding on slices of brown bread cut into small cubes and spread thickly with margarine - Stork margarine naturally! - what else could you serve to birds?! Trying to give them a high fat content - just worried about the salt levels of marg?

Plus they have eaten bags and bags of re-hydrated sultanas. Strangely enough there have been some articles in papers that bread has low nutritional value for birds yet the birds have generally preferred the bread to the sultanas? Also sunflower hearts which have been taken by all birds.

Max counts:- 22 Blackbirds - they always arrive well before first light and drop onto the back lawn in the dark - a risky strategy but indicative of just how hungry they are? The Blackbirds space themselves out evenly like pegs on a chequer board - not liking others of their kind to invade their own small feeding territory. 1 Song Thrush has been a nice sight and it has been left alone by the Blackbirds - they have been too busy scrapping with each other! 2 Mistle Thrush have been regular visitors, 2 Dunnocks have eaten everything that has been put out - apart from the sultanas. Up to 30 Starlings and 12 House Sparrows have also been frequent visitors. I haven't seen the 2 Magpies come down for food at all - they have just carried on nest building throughout the whole of the cold spell! 1 Robin - which has just started singing again as the cold spell comes to the end.

A male Sparrowhawk has discovered where the birds are feeding. Haven't seen it get anything - you can tell when it has been in though - have a ornamental flowering cherry tree at the bottom of the garden which has a dense tangle of clematis growing through it. When the Sparrowhawk has been in there is usually a good number of birds perched right up against the trunk of the tree amongst the tangle of branches - so that they can see what is going on but the Sparrowhawk because of its size would take a time to clamber through the vegetation to get at them?

Cheers,

Bill.

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Friday 15th of January 2010 02:33:20 PM

-- Edited by Bill Myerscough on Friday 15th of January 2010 02:35:58 PM

Latest BTO Press Release:

The results from the BTO Garden BirdWatch survey show huge increases in the use of gardens by birds as they come in search of an alternative source of food. For some species this increase has been dramatic. Redwing and Fieldfare, both types of thrush that breed in Scandinavia, have shown an increase in the use of gardens by 283% and 267% respectively compared with a normal winter.

It doesnt stop here though. For forty species the percentage of gardens in which they occurred increased during the current snowy weather, with particularly large increases in thrushes and buntings. Reed Bunting and Yellowhammer, both small birds belonging to the bunting family that would ordinarily find refuge in Britains farmland, have increased by 134% and 80% respectively!

The provision of some cheap Co-op apples has lured the local Fieldfare into my small garden.

Today a flock of 12 Long Tailed Tits were the first I've seen since the thaw,also:-
1 Redwing
1 Moorhen
2 Song Thrush
2 Mistle Thrush
36 Woodpigeons
3 Goldfinch
300+Starlings,(had to go and get another 6 sacks of popadoms)
very few small birds visiting the feeders,not topped up the sunflower feeders for 4 days,usually they get emptied every day!

-- Edited by pete berry on Monday 11th of January 2010 01:32:06 PM

There don't seem to be as many different species coming into the garden at the moment, but we keep putting food out and we are having good numbers of Blackbirds coming in. Its always a relief when a bird you haven't seen for a few days puts in an appearance, and this was the case yesterday when two male Bullfinches came in but unfortunately didn't stop for long.

A Redwing today was a first for the garden.

Todays birds so far include

2 Coal Tit
10+ Blue Tit
4+ Great Tit
2 Magpie
Dunnock
2 Robin
Song Thrush (appear to be a pair around)
5+ Blackbird
Chaffinch (f)
3+ Starling
2 Bullfinch (male)

-- Edited by Karen Foulkes on Monday 11th of January 2010 12:58:56 PM

No shortage of House Sparrows but a Dunnock is a regular visitor as are the Coal, Blue and Long Tail Tits.
We have Wood Pigeons and a regular pair of Collared Doves that nest in the trees at rear of garden each year.
Its the surprising avoidance of the fat balls that I have noticed.
Just leaving them alone and eating bread in its place!

I had a grey heron sat by our 6 foot pond the other day in the centre of warringtondesparate stuff

-- Edited by JOHN TYMON on Monday 11th of January 2010 12:59:27 PM

In my garden. Davyhulme, House Sparrows are numerous (30+). It's the Greenfinch that have gone missing this year for me.

I've lived at the same address (my parent's) on and off for the last 23 years, but this week I've had several "firsts" in the garden. All but one have been seen from the garden before, but never in it... Just shows how desperate the birds are getting!
These new birds are:
Redwing
Fieldfare
Pied Wagtail
Jackdaw
Bullfinch

Also, where are all the Goldcrests? We've had at least 2 resident individuals over the last couple of winters, but this winter there's only been two sightings... 2 birds on one day in November, and 1 bird one day this week. This theme is also apparent outside our garden.

Had a Fieldfare in my garden yesterday and today a record 18 Goldfinch
House Sparrows are also quiet common here with a regular flock of about 10-15.

No shortage of House Sparrows coming to our seed in the warford garden, upto 15, also Redwing and Fieldfare this last week, never seen Redwing in before also 2 Rooks which was unusual.

Not as good as the last garden on Mill lane at Borsdane Wood this morning which had a Willow Tit and a pair of Yellowhammer!

pete berry wrote:

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Today a Black Headed Gull briefly visited the garden,the first time ever I've actually had one land in the garden.Up to 9 Tree Sparrows today,but very worryingly I not seen a single House Sparrow for the last couple of weeks.
I've managed to acquire several sacks of crushed popadoms(unfortunately couldn't get any free mango chutney with them).These are attracting upwards of 200 Starlings at any one time,also today had at least 24 Woodpigeons in filling their crops with seed.Costing me a fortune to feed them all!!

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Interesting the House Sparrow comment Pete - most of the House Sparrows in Winwick seemed to disappear during Dec. There is usually a flock of 25-35 birds hanging around the garden and roundabout plus more in the park - I now see one or two every few days if I am lucky.

Mike

Oldham Rd, Middleton - Two large (mistle?) thrushes glimpsed this am.
Regular visits from robins, blackbirds(m&f) dunnock, local group of up to 20 starlings, wood pigeon and collared dove but no tits or finches seen all week - is this common?

a Woodcock landed in the garden today on the edge of Skitters Wood in Ashton-in-Makerfield. 15 Woodpigeon around the bird tables was more than usual. Male Pheasant again this morning. Very few tits feeding here recently. Not seen a Song Thrush for a couple of weeks at least. Male Blackbird in sub-song this afternoon

Redwing in my garden (Davyhulme) today. A new garden tick.

female sparrowhawk just took a dunnock from mine.
couple of coal tits feeding on suet earlier.

Hi all,
my garden is only small & relatively new build so only seem to get a few birds, best ever was the sparrowhawk eating a bird before Xmas. Snow has brought a few new ones in:
3 blackbirds (1 resident & fights & hisses at everything in sight!)
1 wren
1 robin
2-4 blue tits
1 great tit
2 woodpigeons
2 mistle thrushes
10 starlings
1 pied wagtail overhead

Pied Wagtail on the bird-table as I type ..................well, nobody else has mentioned one on this thread !

No sign of the Blackbirds; they`ve probably killed each other

my visiting song thrush is having a terribly hard time from one particular adult male blackbird - which will happily let it look at the food from the tree but not actually let it have any.

it resorted to trying to break a frozen solid snail under the snow covered patio table - to no avail obviously. so i brought the snail in gently thawed it out and put it back out for my poor new friend.

when i got back it was gone, hoping the bloody song thrush got it and not the bully-boy-blackbird!

Harris Hawk on my roof in Astley as I type! just missed the kids in the street by a couple of feet and attempted to land on my front bedroom window sill. Now that's what I call a hard-weather movement!

Apparently one (this individual?) may have been lost by a local falconer in the Butts Bridge area. If anyone has any details then please let me know.

Typically, my neighbours were shouting "you've got an eagle on your roof" to me!

Snipe over garden this morning, Ashton on Mersey.

Keep Birding

Today a Black Headed Gull briefly visited the garden,the first time ever I've actually had one land in the garden.Up to 9 Tree Sparrows today,but very worryingly I not seen a single House Sparrow for the last couple of weeks.
I've managed to acquire several sacks of crushed popadoms(unfortunately couldn't get any free mango chutney with them).These are attracting upwards of 200 Starlings at any one time,also today had at least 24 Woodpigeons in filling their crops with seed.Costing me a fortune to feed them all!!

I've received quite a few reports of Robins almost fighting to the death rather than share food.

I think you should go out and give those Blackbirds a good talking to - assuming that they are local birds and can understand Wiganese

Steve

Having only a back yard I`ve never really bothered before with feeders etc, but this morning I made a make-shift bird table with a paving stone resting on top of an old chimney pot that were both lying around. I had some seed (which I usually take a handful out birding with me) and spread this, along with some toast, on the table. Straight away two Blackbirds have spotted it but instead of tucking in have immediately started chasing each other away, using up valuable energy.........as I watch now, they are both bickering on a neighbours` shed roof.......Pot-Yeds !

Clearly the bad weather forcing them to forage further a field, because i too have had a garden first Fieldfare today. Sat low in hedge feeding on the apple put out for the blackcap.

Also redwing in trees across the road.

2 Fieldfare in our garden this morning, a first for our garden too

Fieldfare on the bird table this morning, now thats a first and unexpected

Keep birding

A male Pheasant has been in our garden by Skitters Wood, Ashton-in-Makerfield this week. It had been present in the week up to Christmas, but I had last seen it on 25th December, until it's return in the snow this week. Never seen one here previously.

-- Edited by dave broome on Wednesday 6th of January 2010 07:13:56 PM

A Mistle Thrush came into our garden today and was fighting with a male Blackbird under the feeding station whenever it tried to get to the food.

song thrush - never seen one in the back garden. the resident blackbirds weren't happy sharing food with it!

Today:-
1 Brambling
1 Moorhen
6 Tree Sparrows
1 Mistle Thrush

23 Fieldfare in Garden today Sale.
8 Goldfinch
2 coal tit
11 Long-tailed tit.
Goldcrest.

Stay warm and Keep birding

female blackcap on my feeders as i type

Three Fieldfares until the rotting apples ran out.

8 inches of snow on the ground and a magpie just flew into my bay tree carrying nesting material

Woodcock over my back garden at house roof height at 5.15pm this evening silhouetted nicely by the surrounding street and garden light and reflection off snow (admittedly not quite 'IN' the garden but still a good 'garden' tick!